Jun 18, 2010

Pollo Sabroso means delicious chicken in Spanish so I thought the name would be perfectly fitting for this flavorful chicken that everyone loves in my house.

Latin food has so much flavor because we like to use lots of seasoning and this chicken is no exception. A quick recipe for the broiler or grill; you can use thighs, legs, breast, wings, whatever you like. I usually let this marinate at least 20 minutes, but it's even better if you marinate it overnight.

I personally enjoy this with all visible fat trimmed off the chicken and a small piece of skin on top. If you wish to make this without the skin, the points will be lower. Broiled or Grilled Pollo SabrosoServings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 thigh •Old Points: 4 pts• Points+: 4 ptsCalories: 154.1 • Fat: 9.5 g •Protein: 15.5 g •Carb: 0.4 g •Fiber: 0.1 g

Season chicken with vinegar and soy sauce. Add sazon, a generous amount of adobo, garlic powder, oregano and adobo and mix well. (Don't use your hands or they will turn orange) Let chicken marinate at least 20 minutes. Broil or grill on low until chicken is cooked through, careful not to burn. Enjoy with rice and salad.

220 comments
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Hi Gina...this one's on my list this week. It sounds delicious. I think cooking Latin may be my new favotite way to cook. I have one problem though, when I went to print out the recipe it printed out 8 pages (the recipe on page 1 and 7 pages with your blog name on top and the link to the recipe on bottom; the rest of the page is blank). This has happened with several of your recipes. Do you know why this is happening?

Thanks for posting pictures of these spices. I can't seem to find them where I live. When I made your Carnitas recipe last week, I bought this stuff called Adobo, but it was black and gooey (incredibly messy). The carnitas tasted fantastic, but I knew I wasn't using the right stuff. LOL.

@Autumn Living- The printing issue is an Internet Explorer problem. Upgrade it or use Firefox and that should fix the problem.

@Kim- yes, I've been asked many times from older recipes so I figured it's easier to put a link to see what sazon or adobo is. Adobo is a dry spice mixture, not wet. By the way, use these seasonings on pork chops, fish, steak, your family will think you're an amazing cook!

Hi GinaThis sounds really good. I've been reading your blog for a while now. Love the recipes. I have recently returned to using weight watcher...trying to loose the last 10lbs. I was wondering how much is in a packet of Sazon. I am making my own. Thanks for the great posts.

@Joann- I found this on the noshery.com: If you cannon find sazon you can make your own blend of seasonings, equal parts salt, garlic powder, cumin, corriander and annato. Other possible additions include onion powder, tomato powder and saffron. 1 1/4 tsp equals 1 envelope of Sazon.

oh I have to try to find the no MSG sazon... most likely they don't have it here where I live... I have looked and looked and always end up asking my mom to ship me some from PR. thanks a lot for the brand name that might help me out. Badia is a different brand from the one my mom finds w/o MSG at PR.

Oh boy! This looks fab! I have a whole chicken in the fridge I think I'll try it with. One question: How in the world do you open the Adobo sauce bottle? It's got some weird top on it and I can't figure it out...feeling a little silly!

Brilliant. This sounded so good, ran out to get the ingredients (found them easily) & made tonight. Yum! Another winner Gina. I did replace the oregano with some fresh cilantro (my favorite summer flavor) and that was great, too.

weird! i don't know what it was, but that container was stressing me out! it was like a powder with a liquid on top that I guess I was supposed to stir together. It turned out delicious anyway :) thanks!

Gina, I really love your recipes too and they are so easy to adapt to my plan. I think the adobo that Jessica is talking about is similar to Dona Maria Adobo. Its more a mole adobe but really good. The store I shop at doesn't carry the powder either. Here's a link to what I can get http://www.hormelfoods.com/brands/worldFood/donamaria.aspx I used it when I made the carnitas also because I couldn't get the chipolte with adobo so I used this and chipolte powder. MMMM the gravy/sauce was phenomenal.

Hi Gina! I went to try to find the Adobo and Sazon but neither Whole Foods or Central Market Spanish aisles carried it. Before I spend the rest of Sunday scouring grocery stores, I thought I would just ask you where you found it? Thank you so much! I can't wait to try it!

I made this for Father's day an my FIL's house. I got Sazon and Adobo in bulk bottles, so I wasn't sure how much to use and ended up using 2 tablespoons of the Sazon and 1 tablespoon of the Adobo (I double the recipe). I put it on a whole cut up chicken that I skinned and let it marinate overnight. We cooked them on a gas grill. It was great. Even my husband liked it and said he didn't miss the skin on the chicken. Also made the Low Fat Strawberry No-Bake cheesecake and te Blueberry Cream Pie. I'll have to say the diet suffered today and I'm going to have to stay on the treadmill a little longer each day so I can make it to the end of my week.

When I saw this recipe this morning I ran out to the store to get the fixins to make for Father's Day. It was so good! Everyone raved. We were getting tired of the same old barbecue sauce or Italian seasoning on our chicken. Now we have a new favorite. Thanks Gina. Your site and you are very inspiring!

Mexican Adobo is different then Puerto Rican Adobo. You don't want the Mexican kind, completely different. I think they sell it in Walmart, my bff lives in Tennessee, and if she can find it there, I think you can find it anywhere. If you can't find dry adobo in the store, you can make your own. Combine equal parts salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, ground oregano. You can also add cumin and turmeric, optional. Keep this in a jar and use it to season anything, delicious! I should do a free giveaway for Sazon and Adobo. I didn't realize how hard it was to find.

Gina, I am confused. When I make the Pollo Sabrobo do I use both the Sazon and the Adobo? What is the difference in the two? I do not want to mess this recipe up, it looks to good for me to do it wrong. Hselp

Gina, sorry I left this part out, I did buy the Chipotle in adobo. It is a thick sauce and really hot, so hoping I did not mess this up, scared with it marinating in the fridge overnight that it will be super hot by tomorrow. Ouch.

I ended up finding both at a Super Target out of all places!! I seriously went to Whole Foods, Central Market, Albertson's, Walmart Neighborhood Market - this is how hell bent I was on trying this :-)

I ended up googling Adobo and Sazon, it gave me a list of places that carried the Goya brand, and it ended up that the Super Target by my parents house (in Dallas, TX) was the only location in the city - crazy, huh? So, this is on my weekly menu for dinner tomorrow night and I can't wait! Tonight is a pork chop in a dried cherry chutney demi-glace... only 310 calories! I'll post that one tomorrow for you to check out, not sure how it equates to the WW points, though.

@kitchen with Kate- super target, great! I'm glad you mentioned the Goya website helps you locate where to find their products in your area!! This will help those of you who couldn't find it. The pork chops sound delicious!

@Elena- It can vary depending on your oven. Broil it on low about 9 inches from the flame skin side down and keep an eye on it. When it's golden and a little crispy, turn it over and let the other side cook. About 10 minutes on each side.

This looks really good--I like to marinate pork tenderloin in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic--I leave it there all day and then grill. The sazon and the adobo will really take it to a new level. Thanks!

Like others, I can't find sazon in local markets -- I live in New Mexico right now, but sazon apparently is Puerto Rican and/or Dominican. However, my comment is that the link in your recipe goes to Goya sazon, sold by Amazon, and the first ingredient listed is MSG. I found powdered adobo seasoning some time ago at http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html, but they don't carry sazon.

One more comment about sazon -- I googled "Badia" and found this site: http://www.badia-spices.com/cooking/. I checked "where to find Badia," and apparently it's not available anywhere west of Texas. I found a lot of Badia spices on Amazon, including Badia adobo. Amazon listed Sazon Tropical, but it was not available -- and when it is, it's sold in 12 packs. Also, noshery.com is now a site that just has advertising links to other sites... Bottom line, I'm going to make the sazon myself.

Hi GreenGrannie- Yes, Amazon didn't have Badia Sazon available which is why I didn't put a link to it. I just found it on Cuban Food Market for $2.59. Here's the link: http://www.cubanfoodmarket.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ESP00761&Category_Code=

I LOVE your site! I just came back from the market and I've got the ingredients for this one! I'm going to give it a whirl tonight! I'll let you know how it goes! Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful recipes! You're a gem! :D

Well...we just finished up our dinner here and this chicken was a HUGE hit with my family!!! We all loved it! Thanks so much Gina! Next up...Chocolate Banana Soufflés or Baked Bananas! Can you tell what I have a bunch of sitting on my counter...lol! :D

This is the Adobo that I used (and I'm guessing it's what Jessica used too). I made your carnitas with it, and it tasted great, but it's not the "right" stuff. I simply cannot find it here in Oregon, so thanks for listing the ingredients so I can make my own.

I made this Friday... for my friend and husband. We did two different marinades...the other marinade we tried was a oil based grill mates, tequila lime chicken... we did legs and thighs and tested both marinades . My husband & friend & myself liked this better... Nice color on the bbq... very tasty! Thanks Gina.

Gina,I have discovered your web site after joining ww about six weeks ago. I have been cooking from your site for two weeks now and LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes. My husband does too! I made this chicken last night for guests and everyone LOVED it. Thank you for your fabulous recipes I've lost 11 lbs!

Adobo is very difficult to find here in California too. When I took a trip to NY in April I stocked up on Adobo, sofrito & all goya products. This recipe was such a hit in my family I've been a WW lifer for 3 yrs and trying to find good food that keeps me on track and the family happy has been difficult. glad i stumbled upon ur website!

I have a few recipes with adobo and sazon such as lentil and chicken soup, puerto rican beans, spanish chicken and rice, and arroz con gandules. All really good, but you can also season your steaks and pork chops with it before you grill them!

Thanks for the tip about the no MSG brand. Growing in Puerto Rico you never hear about MSG. Then living in the US you become more aware and I was mortified to find out that all GOYA sazones, bullions, and sofrito had MSG. I was so sad and figured it was impossible to find these without MSG. I even started doing my chicken soup and arroz con gandules without these to avoid the MSG. I am so happy for this new discovery! :-D

Linda- you're welcome! I'm not really sure how bad MSG is for you, I know it's found naturally in some foods, but when I was reading about it, I learned it actually tricks your brain into making food taste good. No wonder everything made with Goya tastes oh boya! But yes, this brand uses no MSG and still adds wonderful flavor!!

This recipe looks amazing! I'm looking forward to trying it this week. I'm planning on baking it in the oven - what temp and how long should I leave it? Should I also cover it with foil to avoid burning? Any other great tips?

Gina - I have just read through all the comments on Adobo and Sazon. I have NO clue if I have the "right" kind of either. I do know my sazon has MSG... but even with that, it was another hit out of the park for my family. We all loved it. Really reminded me of Outback's Kookaburra wings. :) I used thighs with no skin and no bone and it was moist and delicious. Even my 2 year old loved it! Thanks so much!

Gina - I have been to several stores now in the Chicagoland area and I am not finding Sazon that has no MSG. Can you give your recipe for the sazon spice mix? Also can you give your recipe for Puerto Rican Adobo? Thanks!

I recently found your blog and have already made a couple of things from it since the recipes are quite easy and with ingredients I already have on hand. We have loved everything thus far. My family loves the pollo sabroso and it is now my husband's favorite chix dish. Very flavorful and very easy to make! Thank you for all the lightened recipes. Can't wait to try more!

Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. So far all the ones I have tried have been a great hit.

One question I have about this recipe. Mine didn't look like yours when I was done. The Badia Sazon I found was in a regular seasoning jar that you just sprinkle out where the recipe calls for a packet. The recipe makes it sound like it makes a marinade. Anyway, I dipped the chicken in the vinegar and soy sauce and then put the seasonings in a bag, tossed in the chicken, did a good shake and let it sit for 20 minutes before grilling. The taste was great, but it just didn't look like yours. What am I doing wrong? Thanks

I made this recipe today for dinner and let me tell you it was delicious. I was a little confused with the directions when you said to season chicken with vinegar and soy sauce. I did not understand what this meant so I just brushed the sauce on both sides of the chicken and then seasoned with sazon and garlic powder. I made mine with skinless boneless chick thighs. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Made this tonight, It was great! When I bought the Sazon I saw different ones made by Goya, I grabbed the one that has cilantro and tomato. Is that correct? The Adobo I had at home is the one with Naranja Agria. Was that ok to use?

I just found this website two days ago and i have tired 3 dishes so far! All of them have been so good and my husband likes them as well. Thanks Gina! I tired the broiled Pollo Sabrosa today - all i can say is DELICIOUS! THANKS AGAIN!

I tried this recipe last night and it was delicious. I baked the chicken and added onions to it and cooked for about an hour turning it midway. It was delicious. The chicken fell off the bone and the flavor was fabulous.

Absolutely delicious! My husband who is not on WW stated that he loved this dish and wanted the leftovers to take for lunch the next day! Gina dishes are the best. I have tired several of them since finding blog and all of them have turned out to be so good! Telling all of my WW buddies about the site. Thanks so much GINA!

Trying this one tonight! It look awesome! My 2 year old pointed to the picture on the side of the comp and said Yuuum so we'll see how it goes. I live in the chicagoland area and have never had a problem finding any of your seasonings listed (thankfully) Hopefully it goes well.

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes, it is part of my weekly rotation. Tonight I served it with white rice and your Puerto Rican beans. My father in law commented that I am learning how to cook. THANKS DAD.

Thank you Gina for all your amazing recipes, I usually cook a Gina recipe at least three times a week. I am going to tackle your Pio Pio chicken this weekend. I love their chicken, I just wish the sangria was zero points.

If you can't find dry adobo in the store, you can make your own. Combine equal parts salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, ground oregano. You can also add turmeric. Keep this in a jar and use it to season anything. Skip the Sazon and just use a generous amount of this.

I have made this recipe a few times already this month. I will feature this recipe this Memorial Day Weekend as well as the Iced Tea ( a southern favorite). It will be a Gina's menu from beverage, salads, sides, meat entrees to desserts. Brava! Gina!

Super fabulous! Made this without any skin and can't see how it could be better!!! Grilled this outdoors and this was loved by kids and adults. I served this with black beans over white rice. Wonderful dinner!!!

You mentioned that you leave a little piece of skin on top of the chicken piece. I'm curious if you remove skin from the rest of the chicken and layer a small piece on top? Or do you remove skin everywhere except for the top? Just curious. I am very excited to make this in the coming week.

i made this dish today! my kids and i love it!!.. my husband wont eat any until he gets off work tonight but im sure he will also.. i didnt realize there was a mexican sazon and puerto rican.. i used the no msg one i found at the mexican store up the street from my house.. kroger used to sell adobo but i didnt see it but got it at the mexican store.. again delish! thanks for sharing

Gina, I'm so glad I found you recipes! I'm Puerto Rican and my main complaint of healthy recipes was that there was no flavor. Not anymore! I make a delicious arroz con gandules, but I can wait to try your version.

My hubby and I were impressed with the sabroso chicken, even the kids loved it! I have a feeling I will be making your recipes often. :)

Wow!!! Thank you. I had all the ingredients on hand so I marinated thighs, legs and wings overnight and grilled this for a bbq today. My husband has never raved about a meal so much and my picky 3 year old said this was GOOD chicken. I just came across your site a couple days ago and cant wait to try more recipes.

This was soooo good! I used low sodium soy sauce, but next time I will use regular soy sauce. My husband was very impressed and he is HARD to please! I paired this with your cilantro lime rice, it was delish!

I made this dish last night with boneless chicken thighs. I also made the Cuban style black beans and Chipotle's skinny cilantro rice. My family loved all the dishes!

I typically don't comment on any websites; however, since I cook so many of your recipes, I always like to comment and say thank you for the great recipes. I have recommended your site to so many friends that I am encouraging to join WW or just cook healthier!!!

Made this last night with boneless skinless thighs. Can't find adobo or sazon, so I found spice lists and DIY'd my own. Was so good! Made with your red potato salad, switching in a red bell instead. Today cut up cold chicken and mixed in some potato salad. Even good as leftovers!

Just made this last night and it was very tasty! Well seasoned and my brother and cousin really liked it. Served it with a grilled sweet potato. Have some leftovers for lunch today! Can't wait!

I didn't know how big the sazon packets were so I bought the extra large box and whoa I have at least 25 packets! Looks like I'll be making these more often! I can't wait to try your Arrzz con Poollo recipe also!

Just found out about your website through WW. I was so grateful to see this recipe. I am puerto rican and I was really worried that i wouldn't be able to enjoy my ethnic food that I love so much. It would be great if you can put up some more puerto rican reciped that are weight watcher friendly.

Wow! This has the most amazing flavor! I will make this again, and again, and don't need to change a thing. I discovered this website 3 days ago after hearing about it on the Weight Watchers Message Boards, and they were all so right. Lol - 3 days, and this is my 3rd recipe from here, all absolutely fantastic. Can';t thank yiu enough. I think I just might be able to stick with WW this time around with recipes like this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Gina, I made this the other night, and my dh RAVED. He rarely gets excited about chicken but he absolutely loved this and I thought it was great too. This is the third recipe of yours I have tried-all hits! And no, he does not know they are WW recipes ;-)Thank you!!

I can tell that this would be delicious!!! I followed the recipe exactly but think it needed much more marinade. I actually used a few less chicken thighs but the same amount of marinade, and it was enough to coat them but not enough for the chicken to sit in. I let it rest with the marinade on it for about an hour. The skin had delicious flavor from the marinade, but once you bit in, there was not much flavor inside. I think it would have helped to marinade it overnight like you recommended, but since you said 20 minutes would work, I did that. I think it would have been amazing if there was enough marinade for the thighs to soak in. I will be trying it again and this time perhaps tripling the marinade. Thank you for such a creative dish idea!

Gina, thank you for so many wonderful recipes. I found your site a couple of weeks ago and I have made the green monster and pumpkin shake (amazing!!) But this is the first dinner recipe that I tried and everyone loved it! Even my 2 year old that hates eating anything meat, lol! My husband is PR and he kept telling me all night after dinner, wow babe that was really really good. So again thank you for sharing and for doing what you do. My recipe box is FULL

Gina, this sounds so much like the chicken we get from the "Pollo Roticeria" shops in my town. Everyone loves those chickens, seasoned just right and cooked to perfection over mesquite wood chips on the rotisserie. Yum! I'm going to try your recipe this week. One question, Gina. By SAZON, would you perhaps mean what is called ACHIOTE in Mexico? That would definitely leave your hands orange! Gracias por todo su recitas, Gina! Lee

Made this recipe for dinner tonight...used boneless skinless chicken thighs and marinated for several hours. Grill wasn't working, so broiled on low for about 20 minutes. My chicken did not look like Gina's picture, but the flavor was still very good. No problem finding sazon tropical and adobo here in northern VA. Will definitely make this again.

Gina, so many questions. First of all I had to go all over town to find the Sazon I did find it in a Mexican Market. I also had doubt about if I got the right Adobo, I got the sauce and when I opened it it was very very thick I had to stir it to combine it with the little liquid in the jar. The vinegar did help reduce the thickness but I don't think I came out with what you call a marinade. I had to rub it on the chicken. Did I buy the wrong Adobo?

Made this last night! I don't have the option of grilling it but did broil it (and only marinated it about a half hour - I'm sure it would've been even more amazing if I left it overnight), but I have to say it was soooo good! My man was ranting and raving about it and I can't believe how easy it was to make. Thanks for another fab recipe!Karen

Wow. Just delish. I only let it marinate for 20minutes but will do overnight next time, I used chicken thighs and I broiled it. Everybody wanted seconds and there wasn't any left. This dish was very flavorful. I might have to start making this once a week. By the way I am Puerto Rican so any recipe that calls adobo and sazon is usually a plus:)

AMAZING!!!! Removed the skin from 8 chicken thighs and cooked exactly as directed. The only exception was I was out of soy sauce, so I added a dash of Worcestershire sauce instead and it was yummy! For the sides I made the Cilantro Lime Rice with the Cuban Black Beans, and oh my goodness, it was fine!! My husband took one bite of the chicken and said "oh man, this is good!" I wasn't sure of what type of flavor it would have since I've never used Sazon before, but it was really mild, just a great flavor overall and will definitely make it again!

I have to admit I have never taken the time to comment on a recipe... BUT... we tried this tonight on the grill & it was incredible! I had never heard of (let alone used) the 2 latin seasonings ... found them with no trouble at Wal-Mart. We both LOVE the flavors!! Thanks so much for taking the time to share with everyone.

I've been paying big $$ for chicken like this at a local mexican grilled chicken restaurant. I'm hooked - going by about 3 times a week! (Hey, it's healthy!)

When I saw this recipe, I had a hunch it was similar to what they make, and it is! The orange coloring of the seasoning gave it away. Since I'm in Texas, I had no trouble finding the spices, and I actually had a box of Goya Sazon in my cabinet but had never used it.

My local grocery offered about 5 different types of Goya Adobo - with Bitter Orange, with Pepper, with Lemon, without Pepper. I bought the one without pepper because I thought it was the most basic, and it turned out great!

Thank you so much! I can make 2 lbs of chicken for the same price I had been paying for only 2 small chicken breasts.

We just grilled this tonight and it was incredible. I just mixed the seasonings myself and they were great. I am not usually a big fan of chicken thighs, but these were to die for...we will definitely have them again. My husband and son loved them. We had the roasted cauliflower to go with them and it was a great side. Thanks for your amazing recipes.

I have made this quite a few times and my family loves it. I am thinking about grilling a whole chicken tonight and was wondering if I could double or triple this recipe and let the chicken sit in it? What do you think?

I made these using boneless skinless chicken breasts for supper tonight. They were probably the best chicken breasts I've ever had!!! They were so juicy and had such a delicious flavor :-) My chicken breasts were rather large, so I sliced them in half lengthwise. I marinated them overnight, and my husband grilled them about 4 minutes on each side this evening. I will definitely be making them again!!! Thanks again, Gina!

"Delicious Chicken" is right! This chicken was so tender and absolutely jam-packed with flavor! I used thighs, and trimmed all visible fat and left a little piece of skin on half of them. The other half I removed the skin entirely (hubby doesn't like skin on his chicken). We don't have any charcoal, so I baked the chicken at 375 (20 minutes each side), then stuck them under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp the skin up. We both loved it. I really want to try it on the grill next.

I made this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breast because it was what I had on hand. I tenderized the meat, cut it up, and put it on the grill. Turned out fantastic! Love this recipe, Gina! My roommate and I are both addicted to your blog.

I've had Adobo and Sazon in my fridge. I keep forgetting about it. What a great way to use them. I usualy marinate fish with it. It was my first time using chicken. I grilled it. Instant success. Thank you for posting this recipe. Absolutly love your website.

This has become my family's favorite way to eat chicken. It is amazing that there is so much flavor from such a simple recipe. Plus the color of the chicken is so beautiful it would make a good and inexpensive company dish. Thanks for making it easier to make Weight Watchers interesting!

This was my first Skinny recipe to try (3 weeks ago)and what a great recipe to start with! I paired it with the smashed garlic and roasted broccoli recipe (YUM). I am a new life long fan! Made the carnitas this past week and just bought the meat to try the Barbacoa beef.Thanks so much for getting me out of my cooking rut.

Just found this recipe and wondered if this could be done in a Crock Pot with a pork loin instead of chicken. Pork was buy one get one free and my mother sent like 4 over to my home and I am trying to find creative ways to cook it.

Yum! We loved it. I trimmed most of the skin except on top. I marinated about 8 hours, turning about 3-4 times. When I flipped, I pulled the skin back to make sure the flavor got into the meat. Since I'm not usually home to do that, I think I'll double the marinade next time. And there will definitely be a next time! Husband and kids loved it! We seared it on the grill over direct medium heat to crisp it for about 5 minutes per side, then indirect heat for about 10 minutes per side. A nice welcome change from the boneless breast marinaded in fat free Italian dressing! And almost as easy!

Just wanted to say that this is absolutely delicious. I marinated mine for about 8 hrs and used an extra tbsp of soy sauce. I couldnt find the adobo so I did an alt with oregano, garlic salt, black pepper plus the Sazon, wonderful. Btw mine was orange.